The Emperor’s New Groove Themed Dinner

This week, we enjoyed a special dinner themed to The Emperor’s New Groove!

In this Disney comedy, arrogant Emperor Kuzco is transformed into a llama by his devious advisor, Yzma, in her attempt to usurp the throne.  Lost and alone in the jungle, Kuzco is forced to team up with a kind peasant named Pacha to reclaim his throne.

The Emperor’s New Groove is one of my favorite Disney films.  When it first came out, I was at an age where I thought I was too cool for Disney (shocking, I know!).  I eventually ended up watching it with extended family, and I couldn’t stop laughing!    

The cast of quirky characters, high energy pace, and hilarious dialogue make The Emperor’s New Groove unlike any other Disney animated film. 

And the best part of the movie is the villainous duo of Yzma and Kronk.  Their hysterical antics land them on my Top 10 Disney Villains of All Time list! 

Creating our Emperor’s New Groove dinner was tons of fun due to the many comical scenes taking place around food.  Kronk is a very talented chef, after all! 

I also created printable food labels for our Emperor’s New Groove dinner. You can download these free designs by clicking the link below!  

Kronk’s Spinach Puffs

To kick off our Emperor’s New Groove dinner, I served Kronk’s Spinach Puffs!  This is probably the most recognizable food reference from the film, as spinach puffs are Kronk’s signature dish.

I used a recipe from Simply Side Dishes to make our spinach puffs.  The recipe came together easily, and the spinach puffs looked great when I pulled them from the oven!

I wasn’t sure how the younger kids would react to this dish as there was a decent amount of spinach in each pastry.  But, I’m happy to report, the whole family loved them! 

“Hit Him On the Head” Broccoli Tots

Broccoli comes into the picture at Yzma’s dinner party during which she plans to kill Kuzco.  Upon realizing he was mistakenly turned into a llama, she signals to Kronk to “hit him on the head” while smashing two pieces of broccoli together.

I knew my kids wouldn’t be thrilled if I tried to serve them a plate of steamed broccoli, so I served broccoli tots instead. 

To make our tots, I used a recipe from Dinner Then Dessert. 

It was a labor of love finely mincing the ingredients for these broccoli tots, but the effort paid off! 

These were delicious.  The kids approved, but I’ll admit mom ate most of them – they were that good!

Mudka’s Meat Hut Special

Fast forward through the film, and we find ourselves at the local eating establishment – Mudka’s Meat Hut.  Kuzco and Pacha stop here to grab some grub (literally) before continuing their journey.  Unfortunately, Yzma and Kronk stumble into the very same eatery, and trouble ensues.

The food served at Mudka’s Meat Hut consists mostly of meat (including insects) and is, according to Yzma, “swimming in gravy.”  So, as a nod to Mudka’s menu, I made beef tips and gravy with a recipe from Diva’s Can Cook.

This recipe was another win with the family.  I think Mudka would have been proud!

Hot & Crispy Pill Bug

While at Mudka’s Meat Hut, Pacha orders two pill bug specials for himself and Kuzco.  Watching Pacha slurp his pill bug through a straw is incredibly unsettling, so of course I had to include it on our menu!

There was no way I was going to serve real bugs to the kids, so I made our pill bugs out of baked potatoes. 

I found purple potatoes at the natural grocery store and baked them in the air fryer until tender.  Then, I topped them with plenty of gooey cheese and sliced olives for the legs.

The kids thought this take on pill bugs was hilarious, and much more delicious than the original recipe from Mudka’s Meat Hut.

Yzma’s Birthday Cake

Upon realizing Yzma and Kronk were also at Mudka’s Meat Hut, Pacha creates a diversion so he and Kuzco can escape.  Pacha informs the waitstaff it is Yzma’s birthday, and she is bombarded with singing employees, a birthday cake, and a festive sombrero. 

So, for our Emperor’s New Groove dinner, I decided to serve Yzma’s birthday cake as our dessert!

To avoid any further cooking, I cheated and bought pre-made cake layers we could decorate at home.  Then, we topped the cake with every single candle we could find in the house! 

It was quite the impressive sight, however, there was so much fire the smoke detectors went off!

Bucky’s Acorns

Bucky is the friendly squirrel encountered by Kuzco, Yzma, and Kronk during their trek through the jungle.  He is quick to gift an acorn to those he crosses paths with.  So, I had to incorporate Bucky’s Acorns into our Emperor’s New Groove dinner.

I recycled a recipe from our Bambi Themed Dinner to make our acorns with Mini Nilla Wafers, Hershey’s Kisses, and chocolate chips.

Using a saucepan over low heat, I melted the bottoms of the Kisses and chocolate chips and adhered them to the wafers.  Such a cute and simple treat!

Kuzco’s Poison

Now, we couldn’t have an Emperor’s New Groove dinner without the potion that started it all – Kuzco’s Poison!

“Oh, right.  The poison – the poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen specially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco’s poison.  That poison?”

MiO water enhancers are one of my guilty pleasures, so I tried combining a couple flavors to create our potion.

Despite my best efforts, the color didn’t quite work out, and the potion ended up being more purple than pink.  I’m not sure anything appearing that electric pink is safe to drink anyway.  If anyone has recipe suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comments!

The kids enjoyed the “poison” regardless, especially when drinking it out of our extract of llama vial.  It was the perfect elixir to accompany our Emperor’s New Groove dinner.

I hope you enjoyed our Emperor’s New Groove dinner!  What Disney Themed Dinner should we do next?  Let us know in the comments!

Looking for other Disney Themed Dinners?  Check out our Dumbo Themed Dinner and our Avatar Themed Dinner!

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